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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bass — low music
  3. rule — a law
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rule — government
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. chest — a box
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. roll — a cake
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bound — certain
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. roll — a list
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bass — the fish
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com